Lobbys Need To Step Up. Letter to OFF

DuneHopper · Mar 24, 2018

This could be drafted to any lobbyist, but we need leadership and these are the groups that have legislative influence or should. Its time we step up and tell lobbyist we want change and we want it right now. For far to long the west coast has been ignored, and those whom fight for us do little to none to help and when they do its defense mode.

( you can find OFF or any lobbyist email on their website ) I am sending this to my family and friends and putting this on facebook and other websites enough of saying they want us to fight. I say we want leadership

Dear Mr. Starret.

In Oregon your dedication and hard work to save our firearms rights and help support the U.S. Constitution's 2nd Amendment, is admired respectfully by all of us whom live in this great state.
You tirelessly each year give notices and presentations as the needs arrive to once again look for a solution to these constant attacks on our rights, and for this we are all grateful.

As you know, these last two decades have shown a huge transfer of legislative power with the anti-gun citizenship gaining more and more influence to affect change in the legal system of our state, in the form of lost rights.

No one would ever question your loyalty or dedication to the Pro-2nd Amendment firearms owners, and supporters in Oregon. However it has been noted that why the opposition citizenship had a shift of power in how they engage to remove our rights and sadly observed the OFF has not changed tactics to adjust at all, and OFF has had no real success in over 15 years either. Yet each year faithful members donate on promises of stopping or slowing down the loss of rights in this state. And we see little or no opposition changes by OFF its self. This process is rinsed and repeated each year while the opposition out maneuvers all attempts by OFF to make any progress. Furthermore OFF is not on record ever working to have pro-2nd Amendment legislation introduced, leaving Oregon Gun owners only citizen Representative in defense mode. This appears weak to the opposition, no matter if a bill has zero chance of passing the fight to regain rights should always be present.

In closing thank you for all your hard work in the past, but we now ask you to step up the game and fire-back with renewed legislation, and proper public notifications such as air time or billboards.
The fight can not only be in defense mode each year, as this rinse and repeat defense strategy does not work and the opposition knows it. So please consider changing the process on how our rights are fought for.
The Oregon firearms owners grow weary of no progress and the same old fight, the time to step up is now, the last line of defense is on its way. Failure for OFF to take this to the next level will mean OFF is no longer relevant in the fight, if so the OFF should support the changing of the guard and allow others to take that fight to the next level. But lets hope, you will take that challenge and bring Oregon back by bringing the offensive fight back.

Sincerely

( Oregon gun owner )

(Anytime anyone posts things like this, people zing back what do I do about it? First, I don't get 10's of thousands a year to fight nor do I take anyone's money with no progress. )

1Asterisk · Mar 25, 2018

All it takes is a lot of money. I recently sent OFF a similiar note, though mine was a bit more blunt.

Politicians don't concern themselves with the constitutionality of the laws they pass. They don't have too. Proving the un-constitutionality of any law falls on me, or you, or whomever may want to challenge it.

Can you afford the cost to challenge an un-constitutional law? No. Can the politicians in power afford to defend a challenge to their law? Sure they can. They get do it with our tax dollars.

Can we depend on the Judiciary to protect our 2A right as it is plainly written? Obviously not. It is becoming increasingly more clear that a great many of those sitting on the bench are nothing more than creative opinion writers, issuing wordy opinions in support of their political/personal ideology rather than the Constituion. I spent 30 years as an LEO. Part of the job is learning how to interpret the elements of a law, to determine if that law has been violated. It is not difficult, and yet the judiciary, politicos, and anti's won't honor the plainly written words, "...the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed".

So where does all this leave us, the individual citizen fighting for his/her God given right to keep and bear arms? It leaves us with the 3 letter gun rights organizations like the NRA [the ones who said "We will never waiver" before they waivered]. And where were they in NY, Connecticut, CO, and CA? Where are they now, in WA & Oregon? If they showed up at all, they were in the courts. The same courts mentioned above who care little about the Constitution, much less the Second Amendment.

I have long held the opinion that those of us who truly believe in the 2A as it is written, will have to get down and dirty in this fight to save that right, or it will be lost. If that means mounting a large sign in your pickup supporting 2A and parking it in public view, or shaming your anti 2A legislator by protesting in front of their homes, or picketing anti gun stores, or conducting sit-ins at the capitol, or armed marches through downtown in support of 2A, etc. etc., then that and more, is what we must do. We are well beyond writing letters and emails to arrogant, condescending, un-caring legislators.

The downside to doing these things is that there is little backbone among Oregon gun owners to vigorously participate in any of that. Finding one or two or five people to organize and event is of little value if they can't get vigorous participation from a great many others.

Leadership is important, but more than that, there must be a lot of determined and hardened participation from everyone, every time.

DuneHopper · Mar 25, 2018

1Asterisk said:
All it takes is a lot of money. I recently sent OFF a similiar note, though mine was a bit more blunt.

I was with OFF and very supporting of them, until Kevin decided to give a reported 10K of OFF funds to his sister's county election mind you right in the middle of all this SB941 crap. Instead of using that money for all of Oregon he was biased according to Oregon Secretary of State records and gave it to his sisters funds for election. Does anyone get how many $25.00 a year members it takes to equal 10K that easily could have paid for billboards at least a couple on Highway 5. Or imagine the size rally and speakers that could have generated. Its not the first time I have looked at OFF with contempt but this is why I wont support OFF until I see action.

NOTE: The above I have asked Mr. Starret to explain and he simply wont respond nor confirm or deny.

Caveman Jim · Mar 25, 2018

1Asterisk said:
All it takes is a lot of money. I recently sent OFF a similiar note, though mine was a bit more blunt.

Politicians don't concern themselves with the constitutionality of the laws they pass. They don't have too. Proving the un-constitutionality of any law falls on me, or you, or whomever may want to challenge it.

Can you afford the cost to challenge an un-constitutional law? No. Can the politicians in power afford to defend a challenge to their law? Sure they can. They get do it with our tax dollars.

Can we depend on the Judiciary to protect our 2A right as it is plainly written? Obviously not. It is becoming increasingly more clear that a great many of those sitting on the bench are nothing more than creative opinion writers, issuing wordy opinions in support of their political/personal ideology rather than the Constituion. I spent 30 years as an LEO. Part of the job is learning how to interpret the elements of a law, to determine if that law has been violated. It is not difficult, and yet the judiciary, politicos, and anti's won't honor the plainly written words, "...the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed".

So where does all this leave us, the individual citizen fighting for his/her God given right to keep and bear arms? It leaves us with the 3 letter gun rights organizations like the NRA [the ones who said "We will never waiver" before they waivered]. And where were they in NY, Connecticut, CO, and CA? Where are they now, in WA & Oregon? If they showed up at all, they were in the courts. The same courts mentioned above who care little about the Constitution, much less the Second Amendment.

I have long held the opinion that those of us who truly believe in the 2A as it is written, will have to get down and dirty in this fight to save that right, or it will be lost. If that means mounting a large sign in your pickup supporting 2A and parking it in public view, or shaming your anti 2A legislator by protesting in front of their homes, or picketing anti gun stores, or conducting sit-ins at the capitol, or armed marches through downtown in support of 2A, etc. etc., then that and more, is what we must do. We are well beyond writing letters and emails to arrogant, condescending, un-caring legislators.

The downside to doing these things is that there is little backbone among Oregon gun owners to vigorously participate in any of that. Finding one or two or five people to organize and event is of little value if they can't get vigorous participation from a great many others.

Leadership is important, but more than that, there must be a lot of determined and hardened participation from everyone, every time.

I agree, people who claim to be Pro 2A are so complacent these days about our rights being raped.
They worry that they will be spotted at a Pro 2A rally by their families or bosses.
They think a show of force is too risky, sending the wrong message or having to stand amongst the other people that don't wear slacks & a sweater.
They blindly throw a few dollars towards Orgs that preach to the choir but really never show up or do nothing but put out emails saying they will fight the corruption then no action is seen.

Honestly, all gun owners need to take a long hard look in the mirror and ask themselves, do I really want to make a difference, do I have what it takes to do my part?
If you cannot answer YES then the bus is going to be damn near empty so either hang your head or MAN UP and get on board. It's as simple as that.
Blunt but the truth.